Rolling Meadows Commute Time Map & Patterns
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Commute Time Burden in Rolling Meadows: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Rolling Meadows spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 187 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 5% less time on the road than the Illinois average of 23.6 minutes each way, a difference of 1.1 minutes.
Rolling Meadows holds about 0.2% of Illinois's population and accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Rolling Meadows would save about 75 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,323 at the same national wage assumption used above.
| Area | One-Way Commute | Daily Round-Trip | Yearly Time Spent | Estimated Yearly Cost | Local Road Traffic (VPD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Meadows | 22.5 min | 45.0 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,808 | 3,033 |
| Illinois | 23.6 min | 47.3 min | 197 hrs/yr | $6,104 | 1,547 |
| United States | 22.4 min | 44.8 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,790 | 1,355 |
The estimated yearly cost applies a single national rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area - treat it as a rough estimate, not a paycheck figure. Local road traffic counts, vehicles per day on non-highway roads, come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Rolling Meadows Commute Map
On average, it takes 22.5 minutes to get to work in Rolling Meadows. That's about the same as the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 16.8% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Rolling Meadows
- Car: 77.2%
- Worked at Home: 16.8%
- Public Transportation: 2.3%
- Walked: 2.1%
- Other: 1.4%
- Taxi: 0.2%
- Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Biking is unusually rare in Rolling Meadows: 7.0 times less than the Illinois average (0.1% vs 0.5%).
Commute Mode Trends in Rolling Meadows, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Rolling Meadows get to work, as a share of all workers aged 16 and over, across 16 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) releases from 2009 to 2024. Each release is a 5-year estimate: the 2024 figures cover surveys taken from 2020 to 2024. Because neighboring releases share most of their survey years, the lines move gradually, and a sudden change such as the rise of remote work in 2020 spreads across several releases. Hover over or tap a line to highlight it, and use the legend to show or hide a mode. Driving starts hidden so the smaller modes stay readable.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Public Transportation | Walked | Other | Taxi | Bicycle | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 87.3% | 4.2% | 5.6% | 1.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 87.9% | 3.3% | 5.6% | 2.0% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 88.6% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 2.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2012 | 89.1% | 3.1% | 4.5% | 2.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2013 | 89.9% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 2.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 89.4% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 2.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 88.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 1.9% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 87.9% | 4.4% | 4.5% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2017 | 86.9% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 1.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 87.4% | 4.5% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 87.6% | 4.7% | 3.7% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 87.2% | 6.6% | 2.7% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.4% | 10.2% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 81.0% | 13.4% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 78.7% | 15.0% | 2.4% | 2.0% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 77.2% | 16.8% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2013 at 89.9%. Overall it fell from 87.3% in 2009 to 77.2% in 2024, down 10.1 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Rolling Meadows: its share of workers rose from 4.2% in 2009 to 16.8% in 2024, up 12.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 12.1 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 5.6% to 2.3% of workers (down 3.3 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2017 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Rolling Meadows
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Rolling Meadows?
The bars show when commuters in Rolling Meadows leave home for work, as a share of everyone who commutes (people who work from home are not counted), from the 2024 ACS 5-year estimates. The thin violet marks show Illinois for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Rolling Meadows4.6%
Illinois5.6%
|
4.6% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Rolling Meadows4.3%
Illinois4.3%
|
4.3% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Rolling Meadows2.2%
Illinois4.9%
|
2.2% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Rolling Meadows8.3%
Illinois9.0%
|
8.3% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Rolling Meadows9.3%
Illinois9.4%
|
9.3% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Rolling Meadows16.7%
Illinois14.3%
|
16.7% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Rolling Meadows11.4%
Illinois11.6%
|
11.4% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Rolling Meadows13.3%
Illinois11.2%
|
13.3% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Rolling Meadows8.3%
Illinois5.2%
|
8.3% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Rolling Meadows4.4%
Illinois6.1%
|
4.4% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Rolling Meadows3.1%
Illinois2.9%
|
3.1% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Rolling Meadows1.0%
Illinois1.5%
|
1.0% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Rolling Meadows7.8%
Illinois7.7%
|
7.8% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Rolling Meadows5.1%
Illinois6.3%
|
5.1% |
Rolling Meadows Illinois Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Rolling Meadows is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 16.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.3% across Illinois. Early starts are less common than in Illinois: 11.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Illinois: 50.8% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.5% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.5%) leave at 9 AM or later, which usually points to shift work, flexible hours or part-time jobs.
When people leave matters as much as how far they go. Rush-hour traffic shrinks how much ground a 20-minute trip covers, so a trade area drawn as a simple circle often takes in neighborhoods that customers or staff would never drive from and misses others that are an easy trip. A drive-time zone, also called an isochrone, outlines every place within a set number of minutes of an address, which makes it the more honest way to size a store's catchment, a hiring area or the commute from a new home.
See it for yourself on the interactive map: click any spot in Rolling Meadows, pick a 5, 10, 15 or 30-minute drive and see the local demographics of the people who live within that exact drive time.
Is Rolling Meadows Waking Up Earlier? Typical Departure Time, 2009-2024
Each line follows the typical (median) departure time: the moment by which half of commuters have already left home. Higher on the chart means a later start. Setting Rolling Meadows next to Illinois and the U.S. shows whether local mornings are drifting earlier or later than everyone else's. The figures span 16 ACS 5-year releases, so changes build up gradually rather than jumping from one year to the next.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Rolling Meadows | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:42 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:41 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:43 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:44 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:42 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:43 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:35 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:34 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:34 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:36 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:34 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:34 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:39 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:41 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:37 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:42 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Rolling Meadows were on the road by 7:42 AM, almost exactly the same as in 2009. Across Illinois, meanwhile, the typical commuter now leaves 1 minute later than in 2009. Commuters in Rolling Meadows now leave 4 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Rolling Meadows has moved 8 minutes later.
How does Rolling Meadows's commute time compare?
| Metric | Rolling Meadows | Illinois | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 22.5 min | 23.6 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 16.8% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 2.1% | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 2.3% | 5.8% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Rolling Meadows is 22.5 minutes, shorter than the 23.6 minutes in Illinois.
2.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 5.8% in Illinois. 2.1% commute by walking, lower than the 2.8% in Illinois.
Rolling Meadows, IL Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
Rolling Meadows, IL is the smallest of the 5 cities compared here, 24,014 residents against a local median of 67,927. The measure that sets Rolling Meadows, IL apart most is work from home: 16.8%, 17% below the local median of 20.2%.
The cities themselves spread 10.3% on work from home, so Rolling Meadows, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rolling Meadows, IL has the 4th highest work from home of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Meadows, IL | 24,014 | 22.5 min #1/5 | 16.8% #4/5 | 7:42 AM #4/5 |
| Palatine, IL | 58,624 | 25.6 min | 21.3% | 7:35 AM |
| Arlington Heights, IL | 77,229 | 23.9 min | 24.5% | 7:39 AM |
| Schaumburg, IL | 78,574 | 24.0 min | 19.2% | 7:43 AM |
| Elk Grove Village, IL | 27,591 | 22.6 min | 14.2% | 7:34 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Rolling Meadows, Illinois?
Commuters here spend an estimated 187 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,808 at a typical national wage. That's 5% less than the typical Illinois commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Rolling Meadows, Illinois?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.